


Six and a Half Hours

by lucianlibrarian



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Banter, Established Relationship, Flash Fic, Fluff, Happy Birthday Noctis, M/M, Slice of Life, Swearing, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian/pseuds/lucianlibrarian
Summary: It started with one sodden sock.Ignis catches Noctis doing laundry, and the pair decide swimming sounds much more fun.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	Six and a Half Hours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FoxloresArtDen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxloresArtDen/gifts).



> Long ago, back when computers were made of wood and dinosaurs roamed the earth, I held a raffle on my Twitter for a bunch of cool prizes—including a drabble by me. [Foxlore](https://twitter.com/FoxloresArtDen) won and requested some Ignoct goofing off. I’d had this image of Noct throwing a wet sock in such a way that it’d wrap around Iggy’s face like a mask, and it kind of spun out from there.
> 
> I guess this isn’t technically a drabble (even though it is short) and yeah, it’s _months_ overdue, but hey, now I get to share it on Noct’s birthday. Enjoy!

It started with one sodden sock.

Noctis—barefoot and perching over a lake on a stone outcropping—scrubbed his socks into its surface like a washboard.

“There you are,” Ignis said, emerging from the treeline. “You disappeared so quickly after lunch, I thought you might have found a secret fishing hole.” He paused, face alight with the glee of a man who’s just realized a terrible pun. “But instead I find you playing _rock ’em sock ’em_ all by yourse—”

_Splat._

One wet black sock, wrapped right around Ignis’s mouth.

“Bullseye!” Noctis burst into laughter, lowering an arm to steady himself before he toppled over. “Oh shit, Specs, your face, your godsdamn face—wait what no no _nooooo_!”

_Sploosh._

Noctis landed spiral-armed in the water, sputtering as he righted himself and stood. It was Ignis’s turn to laugh, though his was more throaty chuckle than giggly outburst. “What was that about my face? Because I do believe I’ll treasure the look on _your_ face for years to come.”

“Fuuuuuck you,” Noctis said, his voice fond. “You picked me up and chucked me in like a log! Of course I’m gonna make a face!” He drew his arm across the lake’s surface, pushing water into a wave big enough to splash Ignis head to heel. “There, now we’re almost even.”

Ignis’s eyes sparked with wicked glee. “Oh, are we?” He quickly toed his shoes off, dashed toward the edge of the outcropping, and cannonballed in, sending a huge wave right into Noctis’s face.

As Ignis surfaced, the prince coughed a mouthful of water to the side. “Trying to drown me?” 

“I have complete faith in your ability to deal with horseplay.”

Noct snickered. “Y’know, our clothes are all wet now.”

“Then we best let them dry in the sun while we swim, no?”

With a knowing glance, the pair paddled over to the stone where Noct’s socks still lay. Together, they peeled away their shirts and pants, draped them out to dry. There was the briefest of pauses as they considered underwear. 

“As much as I like you…y’know,” Noctis said, his eyes darting down to the water’s surface as he chewed his lips, “I kinda miss just goofing off. Is that weird?”

Ignis gathered Noctis’s face in his hands, kissed his waterlogged lashes, his swollen mouth. “Not at all, love. Not at all.” And then dunked him before taking a lazy backstroke toward the center of the lake. “But if you’re going to beat me in a Catoblepas Relay—”

“Oh, you are _so_ on!”

It started with one sodden sock.

It ended with six and a half hours in a lake.

They laughed and talked. Swam and played. Kissed and swore—words of jest, words of love. As the light began to fade, they slipped out of wet underwear and into warm, dry clothes. Walked back to camp with fingers intertwined.

A day can’t remove the weight of destiny, but it can borrow it.

And that night, as Noctis and Ignis—sun-flushed, bracketed between friends—curled up together, they relaxed into the remaining hours of their reprieve.

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: [@lucianlibrarian](https://twitter.com/lucianlibrarian)  
> Discord: starryfox#7213


End file.
